Book Review: Youngbloods by Scott Westerfeld

Youngbloods

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Youngbloods 〰️

I'm a little torn on how to review this book. It might not have been as good if this wasn't part of the Impostor/Uglies series. This book was good, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't the strongest of the series. I was excited to see where this book would lead storywise, especially knowing Tally was coming back, but I'm not 100% sold on where Westerfeld took the book.

The other books in the Impostor series mentioned Tally, and since I loved her story, I was super excited to know she was coming back as a character (Shay, too!) and not just mentioned here and there. Sadly, I don't feel like this book did her justice. She almost seemed like a different Tally than the OG Uglies series, yes, including Extras, where Tally wasn't the MC. Shay felt like Shay, but something didn't feel entirely right with Tally. I mean, I guess years going by between novels and living in the wild for so long will change a character, but still.

Also, for some reason, I couldn't get into this book as I did with the others. This is no fault of the writer. I think I've just been too tired lately. But I was only really hooked at the end.

The ending also feels like it ended too quickly, like another book may be coming, but I'm pretty sure this is the end. Who knows?

Is this book terrible, however? No. It was still a good read, even with all its faults. I still enjoyed being back in the world of Uglies. If you have enjoyed the series so far, I believe it's still worth the read.

Book Review: Mirror's Edge by Scott Westerfeld

Mirror's Edge

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Mirror's Edge 〰️

I'm glad to say this series (not counting the original Uglies) keeps getting better. I thought this book was the last in a trilogy, but it turns out I was wrong. I'm glad about that because now I don't want this story to end. That's how you know a book series is good. (Although I'm aware that all good stories do need to end, or else they drag on).

Westerfeld starts this book off in media res, and it's exhilarating. And he keeps up with the action and perfect pacing throughout the book. I always loved how well Westerfeld writes good pacing in his stories. Everything happens precisely when it needs to, with no info dumping or scenes that drag.

Also, Westerfeld's books are known for their extreme cliffhangers, and this one was no different. In a way, there was a mini one right near the end with pages left when Rafia killed Col. I didn't believe she actually killed him. But it seems he's really gone, and props to Westerfeld for going through with it. And for the actual cliffhanger with Paz announcing Tally Youngblood is around, I nearly screamed in happiness. She's been hinted at in this series many times, but I didn't think she would return in the flesh. I'm excited to see her role in the last book.

I also want to mention that I love how Frey is really developing into her own character, and I enjoy reading her more now than I did in the first book. In book one, she was just a killer with one purpose, to save Rafia from anything and everything. And that still is her purpose to an extent. But now she's becoming more than a Rafia body double. She is developing her own personality outside of fighting and saving Rafia, and I love that for her. I'm glad she's gotten some good character development.

All in all, great read. I think you'll enjoy this one if you are a fan of the Uglies series. It's different, and I wouldn't say I liked it as much at first, but now I enjoy it. It's different in a good way.

Book Review: Shatter City by Scott Westerfeld

Shatter City

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Shatter City 〰️

It's weird. I don't usually find sequels better than the first. Sometimes I find them as good as the first book, but never better. (although it has happened before, it's rare). This is one of those rare times when I think the second book was better than the first.

This book felt more faithful to the original world of Uglies. I also found the story to be more engaging. I feel like Frey really developed more as a character in this book as well. I do think it's sad that she got addicted to what I feel are essentially drugs. In this book, she gets what's called Feels, and at first, she's apprehensive about using them. But after she starts to use them, she becomes dependent on them. And while the book never says they are drugs, I feel like they may represent them in a way. She even has a withdrawal of sorts in the way of PTSD and depression when she loses her Feels.

This story takes a dark turn compared to the other books in this series. I mean, yes, Victoria had a massive loss in the first book, but in Shatter City, we see the casualties firsthand, and it hits harder in this book because of it. This new trilogy is for sure more mature than the first Uglies series, but it still stays within the YA genre. So I give props to Westerfeld on being able to balance that well.

I will say; however, Frey learning her first kill was her brother and having that bother her seems a little off to me. Yes, it's her brother, but she's never met him and had no attachment to him. She was acting like she loved him and grew up with him when she had no idea that it was even him as the assassin. Although I can still see why it's upsetting, he was her brother. But it shouldn't bother her as much as it did, in my opinion. She was born to kill, after all.

All in all, this was still a good story, and I'm curious to see how it all ends in the final volume.

Book Review: Impostors by Scott Westerfeld

Impostors

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Impostors 〰️

I loved the Uglies series. The world-building was fantastic, the characters were fun to read, and the story was super cool. So, when I heard there was a new trilogy set in the world of Uglies, I was all in.

Sadly, as good as this book was, it didn't live up to the original series, in my opinion. Aside from throwing a few random things (like the mention of the MC of Uglies, Tally Youngblood, some world-related phrases, like "brain-missing," and a few world-building things from the original series), there wasn't much that resembled Westerfeld's original world. Also, having this book written in first person threw me off a little because all the other books were in third person. (That last point is just a nitpick thing on my end. The prose was fine; I was just used to a different way of storytelling for this futuristic world).

While this book didn't feel completely related to an already well-established series, I did still enjoy it. Not a massive fan of how much military stuff is happening, though. I wasn't expecting that. But it was well written, and so it's all good.

As with Westerfeld's other books, the pacing is perfect. Everything happens right when it needs to, and nothing felt like too much of an info dump. Although even though I don't find there isn't too much to tell this is from an established series, I do think that if you haven't read the Uglies, some parts would be confusing. (If you have, then when the lingo of the world is used, you'd be just fine).

All in all, I'm happy to be reading this series again. It's cool to learn even more about the Uglies world. Westerfeld's writing never disappoints. And I knew it was coming. The cliffhanger ending. His previous works all ended in an "oh my God, I need to read the next book now" ending. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to do just that and dive into book two!

Book Review: Son by Lois Lowry

Son

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Son 〰️

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.

Now, THIS is a true companion/sequel to The Giver. This book has features of all previous books in this series and comes full circle in a way I didn't know possible since the previous two books seemed so disconnected from the first.

I very much enjoyed this read. I loved that we got to revisit the community in which Jonas lived, but this time from a different lens. I loved seeing how the community operated from viewpoints other than Jonas's. And having Jonas be part of part one was also excellent. And having him come back, not as "Leader" but as Jonas in part three? Well, let's say it was nice seeing him again. (I didn't expect him to end up with Kira, but I guess it makes sense).

I'm glad the Trademaster was brought back, if only to learn a bit more about him. In the last book, we only saw him briefly before, and he gets a slightly more significant role in this one. I mean, he's the main antagonist, but only in the later half of the book. I do think he was defeated pretty easily, tough. It reminded me of during the IT movie how they defeated Peniwise by hurling lame insults at him. For a being that is described as pure evil, like Peniqise was, I get the sense that he's super old and, therefore, extra powerful. But Gabe says like three sentences, and this hurts him? I dunno. Feels rushed.

And speaking of rushed, I've said it before for the other books, and I'll say it again. Does Lowry not know how to end books? They all ended so abruptly. Granted, this one was better than the last two and had a slight improvement on the first, but still. They all have significant conflicts, and the second it's resolved, it's over. At the very least, I'd like to see a few paragraphs with the aftermath of everything. I mean, we followed Claire's journey (and I guess Jonas and Kira's, too) for so long, and we get like a sentence hinting everything is going to be okay. I enjoyed the book, but I'm personally not satisfied with the ending.

All in all, this was a nice end to the series. Although you could cut out the middle two books, read The Giver and then this one and still be satisfied, I think. The Giver is still the best one of them all, but this one is a close second.

Book Review: Messenger by Lois Lowry

Messenger

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Messenger 〰️

Finally, we have a true connection to the first novel, making this a true companion/sequel to The Giver in my eyes. Also, this book was a vast improvement over the second one. I loved the first, but the second fell a little flat for me. This third novel wasn't as good as the first, but I enjoyed it more than Gathering Blue.

It's nice to see a grown-up Jonas (now the Leader) and a mention of Gabe. It's good to know they survived. I'm also glad to see Matty (previously named Matt in book two) has learned to speak correctly, as he was a bit hard to read. Being the new MC of the third book in this series, it would have been extremely annoying and difficult to read his previous speech patterns.

Speaking of POVs, Lowry switched POV to the Leader near the end, and it felt off. It worked with the story, and I see why she did it, but this was the first time in three books (and right at the end of the book, too) that she did this. It kind of throws the style of the books out the window for a bit.

Also, does Lowry not know how to end her books? Or maybe I don't understand her style very well. This is the third book where the plot thickens, only to end with an ambiguous ending abruptly. (Did Matty die? I think he died, and that sucks). I hope the final book answers this series's previously unanswered questions.

While not my favourite of the series (it's the second), this was still an enjoyable book. Probably because it was the first to be a companion/continuation, I'm curious to see how this ends.

Book Review: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Gathering Blue

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Gathering Blue 〰️

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

I was not expecting this to be a companion to The Giver. Barely anything was similar to the first book. I know it's a companion, and it's another village, but a little callback to book one would have been nice. (Although it's implied right at the end Jonas is alive and with the MCs dad). But this could be a brand new world and I wouldn't have known it. I'm not sure how this is part of the series.

That being said, there was some great world building once again in this book. You can for sure tell it's a distopian future with a distinct culture. I don't think this world was as interesting as the one in The Giver but it was still cool to read about it.

While this story was interesting, I don't think it was as interesting as the previous novel. I think I was expecting more since the first one was so great. I was also a little shocked to see no mention or tie ins (that I know of) to The Giver, be it it's characters, or greywashed world. I don't mind a companion book to have compleatly new characters. In fact, I expect it. It's just this is part of a series and so I thought there would be more of a tie in raher than feeling like a completly fresh book. Perhaps they will all blend together more in the next two books.

I still enjoyed it, however. As mentioned, it wasn't as interesting but it was still a compelling enough read. I will admit that I didn't care for how most of the characters talked, however. It was a bit hard to read. I mean, it helped built the world and such, but like I said, a bit hard to read. But that is a mino nitpick.

All in all it was still a decent book to read.

Book Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver

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The Giver 〰️

I saw my co worker reading this book and when I asked her what it was about I was immediately intrigued. So I went a got a box set of the whole quartet.

Right from the start I was pulled into the story. I love the world building in this far of dystopian future. It never stops but never feels like an info dump. We learn what we need to know right when we need to know it, as we should. Lowry is a master at this. There are some questions that have yet to be answered, such as how society ended up the way it is, but I assume they may be addressed in later books. At least I hope. This one was super short and I finished it in like afternoon.

I'm unsure about the ending though. Was it it supposed to be so ambiguous? Did Jonas and Gabe survive? Did they find another village or die? It was a little unclear for me. Maybe some readers saw more in this ending than I did, but I felt like I was missing something. And for such a great story, the ending felt rushed and unfinished. A chapter more or an epilogue would have sufficed. Maybe in the next book we'll learn more about Jonas and the Giver's fate, as well as the fate of the community they lived in.

All in all, I love books with unique worlds that are easy to understand and dive into. I would never want to live in these types of societies but I love reading about them. Lowry drew me into a great world with her brilliant mind and I'm excited to dive into the rest of the series.

If you like dystopian books and great world building, this book (and hopefully series) is for you.